Water-column optics system



Fla. 4,

J. F. THOMAS ET AL WATER-COLUMN OPTICS SYSTEM Filed Oct. 27, 1966 INVENTORS JOHN F. moms KELLER BY 9 United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A water column optics system using a controlled stream of clear water under pressure to enhance viewing in turbid waters and having an additional capability of scouring a submerged object to be viewed by removing accumulated debris and silt.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States 0 of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention relates to a water-column optics system and more particularly to a water-column optics system that enhances viewing in turbid waters.

The use of all types of underwater vehicles and divers has been undergoing a tremendous increase. Additionally increasing demands are being made on the ability of such vehicles and divers to locate and work on submerged objects. Often the use of direct visual contact with these objects is hampered by turbidity from suspended material in the water. This turbidity is a problem both at great depths such as would be experienced by deep sea rescue vehicles and in shallow water such as would be experienced by divers engaged in harbor clearance or similar work. Attempts have been made to alleviate this problem by the use of high-resolution Sonar instead of direct visual contact. Sonar, however, is not available for divers and even if available it cannot provide resolution much below one inch. With such a limitation sonar loses much detailed information, such as painted markings and colors. Information in this detail is often of critical importance in underwater work especially when time is an important factor such as in submarine rescue work.

The system of the present invention overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies in prior art techniques and provides a viewing system which makes it possible to obtaininformation as detailed as would be available by direct viewing in non-turbid water conditions. Additionally, the present invention provides for the scouring of the submerged object to be viewed to remove accumulated bottom debris and silt. 7

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a water column optics system.

It is another object of the invention to provide a water column optics system that makes direct viewing possible under turbid water conditions.

It is still another object of the invention to provide 'a water column optics system with provision for scouring a submerged object before viewing.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a water column optics system that is self contained.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a water column optics system that employs clear water from a location spaced from the object to be viewed.

It is another object of the invention to provide a water column optics system with provision for extending the viewing range of the system to make possible the viewing of underwater objects at greater distances.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a water column optics system with provisions for changing the viewing direction without reduction in viewing quality.

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Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the invention will become apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof together with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a submarine vehicle incorporating the system of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the optics and flow directing portions of the system of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the clear water supply system of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a view of the extensible sleeve of one embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a underwater craft of the type used for deep sea rescue work. The craft has an outer hull 12 and inner pressure spheres 14, 16 and 18. The inner pressure spheres are interconnected by passageways 20 and 22 and sphere 16 is provided with a mating pressure chamber 24 which is designed to interconnect with fittings on the rescue hatch of, for example, a damaged submarine. The pressure spheres, passageways, and chamber do not completely fill the interior of the hull 12. The remaining interior space is normally filled with water. In the craft shown the water may be taken on through intakes 26 and 28. One of these intakes 28 is located at the flow stagnation point where the water pressure is highest, so that water may be taken on without pumping during forward motion of the craft thereby conserving battery power. The second intake 26 is located in the upper part of the hull to allow clear water to be taken on when the craft is working on the bottom. Turbid water may be exhausted through the outlet 30 located toward the stern of the craft. The inlets 26 and 28 are connected through the appropriate piping,

not shown, to the pump and filter unit 32. The pump inlet 7 nozzlev 34 is provided with appropriate valving, not shown, in ordervthat intake water may be selected from either the inlet 26, 28 or the water retained between the inner and outer hulls. Pump and filter unit outlets are provided to supply water to the outlet 30, the mating chamber 24 and to the water column nozzle unit 36.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the water column nozzle unit and its optics system. The nozzle receives clear water through inlet 38 and directs it outwardly and away from the viewing window 40. Illumination is provided by a lamp 48; parabolic mirror 50, and half-silvered mirror 52, which directs light along the same path taken by the clear water from the nozzle 36. The nozzle 36 is rotatable mounted on bearings 39.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the pump and filter unit 32. Elements 54 and 56 are filter units which are supplied through their inlets 58 and 60 from one of the intake water sources. The filters are connected through I two way solenoid valve 62 to the hydraulically driven pump 64. Provision is also made for the direct intake of unfiltered water from the hull inlets 26 or 28 through two way valve 66. On the outlet side of pump 64 there is a return conduit 68 which is provided to backwash the filters through solenoid operated valves 70 and 72. A tap 74 on the outlet of pump 64 allows the pumping of clear water to the mating section 24 or to the interior of the outer hull. Throttle valve 76 controls the quantity of filtered water flow through the water column nozzle 36.

FIG. 4 shows a modification of the water column nozzle 36. The nozzle in this modification rather than being rigid 'as in FIG. 2 comprises a flexible bellows-like configuration which normally assumes the collapsed position shown. The flexible nozzle member 84 carries a plurality of nozzle extending tubular members 86 which are connected to a source of higher pressure water, such as pump 64, through a manifold 88. Shown in dotted lines in the interior of the nozzle are flow deflecting vanes 78. The vanes are pivotally attached to control rod 82 which is in turn connected to control motor 80. The flow deflecting vanes 78 are made of a optically transparent material having the same index of refraction as water. Their use and the use of the flexible bellows will be described more fully hereinafter.

The operation of the device of the invention will be described initially in its application on a deep sea rescue craft such as is shown in FIG. 1. This operational environment is adopted for purposes of description only and should not be taken as limiting theutility of the invention. In fact as will be shown more fully hereinafter the invention may be used in many other operational environments, including, for example, :by divers. The device as installed on the deep sea rescue vehicle depicted in FIG. 1 has three sources of water which may be employed when carrying out the purposes of the invention. The first source of water is that water stored within the interior of the hull 12. This water may be taken on when the craft is near the surface, which water will normally be quite clear and not effected by bottom sediment. In this manner the craft effectively carries a large reserve of clear water for use during an extensive viewing opera-' tion on the oceans floor. Also additional water may be taken on when the craft is moving from one site to another or during submergence to clarify that water already within the hull. Water may be taken on without pumping, due to the location of inlet 28 at the flow stagnation point, where the pressure differential during movement can be used to force water through the inlet. If filtration of the water taken on is required the incoming water may be filtered through the pump and filter system 32 before storage within the hull 12. A second water source for operation is water taken aboard through inlet 26 or 28 and filtered directly for use through the water column nozzle 36. Finally water may be taken aboard directly through intakes 26 or 28 and pumped unfiltered to the nozzle 36 for use in scouring Operations. This last capability allows the use of large quantities of water for the purpose of sweeping away bottom debris and silt from the object to be viewed without loading up the filters of the pump and filter system 32 and without the normal pressure drop which would occur if those filters were employed.

Assuming now that the craft has located generally, a submerged object such as a submarine in distress and now must mate its mating chamber 24 with the escape hatch of such a submarine, the water column optics system of the invention would be employed to locate hull markings and other normally unresolvable details required for proper mating of the two vessels. Clear water would be pumped through inlet 38 and be directed outwardly from a nozzle 36 and at the same time lamp 48 turned on to provide the necessary illumination. The light from lamp 48 including that reflected by parabolic mirror 50 is directed at half-silvere'd mirror 52 which reflects that light along the path of the water column towards the object to be viewed. The mirror conveniently may be pivotally mounted so as to allow the light'to be directed along the same path taken by the water column. In the instant embodiment actual viewing by the human eye or other viewing devices such as cameras or television receivers is accomplished by viewing through the back of the halfsilvered mirror 52 which permits suflicient reflected light from the object to be viewed to pass through its halfsilvered back surface. It is also within the contemplation of the present invention for viewing to take place adjacent to the reflecting surface in which case a fully silvered mirror can be employed. Additionally a prism may be employed rather than a mirror to redirect the light from lamp 48 along the clear water column. The range and utility of the viewing device is enhanced considerably Without the use of long and cumbersome nozzles by constraining the clear viewing water to laminar flow. The

.4 water is constrained to laminar flow by the use of the flow directing vanes 78 which, as was previously mentioned, are composed of a transparent material with an optical refractive index of approximately 1.34 or the same as that of water. These vanes prevent the outgoing water from swirling or spiraling and thus limiting the range at which viewing may take place. The flow directing vanes may also :be employed to direct the viewing water column toward the objectto be viewed so that it is unnecessary to maneuver the vessel for this purpose. For example, in the instant device the viewing water column may be directed to so intercept a line vertically through the mating chamber of the vessel which would during final positioning, be located directly above the equivalent mating section or escape hatch on the distressed submarine of the illustration. As shown the flow directing vanes 78 would permit viewing along the line from the front to rear of the rescue vessel. In addition viewing to the right or left side of the vessel may be accomplished by employing the bearing 39 shown in FIG. 2 between the pressure sphere 18 and the nozzle 36. By a combination of the rotation of the nozzle 36 and setting of the vanes 78 any object within the viewing range of the system may be exposed to clear water and illumination.

Referring now to the schematic diagram of FIG. 3 there is shown the filter and pumping system employed with the invention. Filters 54 and 56 may be provided through their inlets 58 and 60 with water from either of the afore mentioned sources. The filters are designed to work alternately, one being active while the other is being cleaned by back flushing. The active filter is selected by solenoid operated valve 62 which directs the inflowing clarified water to hydraulically powered pump 64. Assuming, for example, that filter 54 is being employed as a source of clear water, valve 62 would be positioned so as to allow flow through pump '64. Return line 68 would carry some of the clarized water to the solenoid operated valves 70 and 72. In this example, valve 72 would be closed and valve 70 would be opened to allow the clear water to back flush filter 56 and be discharged through outlet 60. Solenoid operated valve 67 provides access through inlet 66 to sea water for use in scouring operations as was previously described. Valve 76 controls the flow to nozzle 36 and may be opened wide to provide a large flow of water for scouring operations or throttled down to conserve water during operations at relatively close distances.

FIG. 4 shows a modification of the invention designed to increase itseifective viewing range. The device is attached immediately outboard of the outward end of the nozzle 36 and in normal operating conditions is retracted to the position shown so as to not interfere with the normal column flow. When it is required to view objects at greater distances than can normally be achieved because of the dilution and dissipation of the normal water column flow, the device may be extended to confine the initial portions of the water column and thereby maintain its undiluted and undisrupted flow for a greater distance from the nozzle. The extension is accomplished by the application of high pressure water, such as would be available at the outlet of pump 64 into the manifold 88 surrounding the outboard portion of the nozzle 36. This high pressure water is directed to the extensible tubes 86 and tends to straighten and elongate them and thereby the bellows like extensible tube 84. As the vessel approaches more closely to the object under observation the tubular member 84 may be retracted to its normal position and the water column optics system will then be capable of operation in its normal fashion.

As was mentioned previously the use of the device ter may be supplied by a buoyed tube running upwards from the working area to a level in the body of water concerned at which the turbidity of the water is considerably 7 lower and pumped down that tube to the nozzle to thereby permit viewing in the turbid water area. Such an adaptation of the invention would be especially useful in connection with the systems used by divers due to the necessity of reducing the weight that a diver must carry to a minimum. In some applications it may be found advantageous to mount the water column nozzle 36 directly on the face plate of a diver to thereby facilitate with or without illumination his viewing of objects on which work is required. In this application the flow directing vanes may be made stationary as the direction of water flow may be controlled merely by the direction in which the diver faces. Finally it may be desirable in some circumstances to employ a plurality of devices incorporating the advantages of the invention. For example, especially where an elaborate work under water is required it may be advantageous to provide one water column system for supplying a clear path for illumination and a second water column system for viewing. This arrangement would eliminate the necessity for coaxial viewing and illumination and create shadows for better depth preception.

Obviously many other modifications and variations of the present invention are possible inthe light of the above teachings it is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A water column optics system for use under turbid water conditions comprising:

at least one source of clear water;

nozzle means;

pumping means for pumping water from said source through said nozzle means; and

means including said nozzle means for permitting viewing, through said nozzle means along a line substantially co-axial with a path of said clear water exiting from said nozzle means, of an object in said path.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said source of clear water includeswater from said turbid water conditions and filter means for clarifying said water.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said filter means comprises at least two filter units and first valve means for back flushing one of said units during operation of the other of said units.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said filter means includes second valve means for bypassing said filter units and introducing unfiltered water for use during operations intended to clean foreign matter from an object to be viewed.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

illumination means for providing illumination along a path substantially coaxial with the path of said clear water from said nozzle means for illuminating said path of clear water.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said illumination means includes a light source and a half-silvered mirror to direct the light from said light source along said paths, and wherein:

said means for permitting viewing comprises window means and said half-silvered mirror, the optical path of said viewing being through the back of said halfsilvered mirror and through said window means.

7. The system of claim 5 further including flow direct- 6 ing vanes in said nozzle means to constrain said water to laminar flow.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said flow directing vanes are optically transparent and have a refractive index substantially the same as that of water, and wherein:

said vanes are mounted for pivotal movement;

whereby the path taken by said water may be varied and wherein said illumination means includes a light source and a pivotally mounted half-silvered mirror to direct light from said light source along said path and,

said means for permittingviewing comprises window means and said pivotally mounted half-silvered mirror, the optical path of said viewing being through the back of said half-silvered mirror and through said window means.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said nozzle is rotatably mounted about an axis substantially parallel to said water flow;

whereby the direction of water flow may be varied to.

cover a considerable area by rotation and vane position.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein:

said source of clear water includes filter means for clarifying turbid water;

said filter means comprising at least two filter units and first valve means for back flushing one of said units during operation of the other of said units.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said nozzle means includes:

a bellows comprising a plurality of annular rings disposed at an outward portion of the nozzle and coaxial therewith;

a plurality of extensible tubular members circumferentially spaced around said bellows and fixedly attached thereto, extending in a line parallel to said .water path;

a manifold connecting each of said tubular members to a source of water under pressure; and

a combination of nozzle a valve for, selectively controlling the flow from said I pressure source to said manifold and therefrom to said tubular members whereby the said bellows may be extended or retracted.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,760,041 8/1956 Laval -11 2,982,191 5/1961 Laval 9511 2,060,670 11/1936 Hartman 61-69 2,396,267 3/1946 Johnson 61-69 X 2,481,808 9/ 1949 Barna 6l-70 2,939,416 6/1960 Calabrese 61-69 X 3,014,984 12/1961 Jacobson 61-69 X 3,056,499 10/1962 Liddell 210-333 X 3,286,087 11/1966 Sheldon.

3,354,658 11/1967 Leonardi 6169 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,103,172 3/1961 Germany.

JEWELL H. PEDERSEN, Primary Examiner R. I. WEBSTER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

